Splinter Cell

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Gives the Game Boy Advance version of SC a run for its money.

By Levi Buchanan

The Reagan-era mind of Tom Clancy is updated for a frightening 21st Century. It is a world where terrorists and rogue nations, not thunderous superpowers, are America's gravest threat. The need for super agents of the Third Echelon, grizzled veterans like Sam Fisher, has never been greater. Operating alone, you are a Splinter Cell, a get-out-of-jail-free car-carrying assassin, spy, and freedom fighter.

Features:

Side-scrolling action

Polyphonic sound effects

10 levels

Save points

Splinter Cell was a huge hit on the XBox last year, and is again enjoying seriously brisk business now as gameplay-enhanced (but graphically inferior) PlayStation 2 and GameCube versions hit shelves. And if you don't mind a further degradation in visuals, there's a pocket-sized Sam Fisher for some go-go spy action in Gameloft's new cellphone take on Splinter Cell.

Think Prince of Persia with guns. And shadows. The action is now strictly side-scroller, as Fisher creeps through military complexes, disabling weapon systems, meeting contacts, and accessing secret computers. The missions start out predictably short, allowing you to get used to the new controls. Players of Persia will have no problem adjusting to Spinter Cell's sensibilities, such as the need to use the jump button to scale a wall.

Fisher is not equipped with his full arsenal of weapons this time out. Mainly, it's you and a pistol versus an army of trained soldiers, robo-cannons, and other bad guys. You can also get the drop on enemy soldiers, cracking necks as they tumble to the ground.

Stealth is a huge part of the Splinter Cell appeal. On the console game, you had a meter that let you know how invisible you were to enemy troops. On the celly game, because everything is 2-D, it's a matter of judging distances. Enemies won't see you clear across the screen, and it seems to be only a pixel's worth of difference between successful stalking and finding yourself in the crosshairs. There are also plenty of shadowy alcoves that Sam can vanish into and wait for unsuspecting guards to walk by, their last sight those green lenses from Sam's night vision goggles.

The levels are incredibly varied, from underground complexes to sea-based oil rigs to icy military outposts. All are quite colorful, and looks positively brilliant on a good screen, such as the Motorola T720 we tried Splinter Cell on. Sam is also well-animated, possessing several frames of movement depending on his actions.

There are lot of little beeps and boops to accompany computer terminal access and other menial tasks. Spinter Cell does have a quick little opening theme that loops while you mess with the front-end menus. There are also little audio flourishes that sound when you've been spotted by a guard and the alarm has been sounded. The gun, however, sounds nothing like any firearm you've ever heard--perhaps Fisher is using some top secret pistola that goes "crink?"

The Verdict

Fans of Prince of Persia, also available from Gameloft, will certainly dig this techno-spy take on the popular platformer. Of course, console fans will hardly recognize their hero, but scaled back expectations are what makes Splinter Cell sing. You'd hardly expect a game this detailed and clever from the first-gen of color phones. Splinter Cell is a solid download, well worth the scratch, as you'll likely keep it on your phone well after finishing the game just to show your friends how much cooler your phone is than theirs.